This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Dr. Chatterjee was awarded COBRE funding based on a competitive RFA in Dec. 2005. The funding was activated in Feb. 2006. Characterization of RKIP expression in human cancers. The Raf Kinase Inhibitory Protein (RKIP) is a negative regulator of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade initiated by Raf-1 and is considered to play a pivotal role in cancer, regulating apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutic agents. As opposed to RKIP, the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor that is frequently activated in human tumors, including gastric adenocarcinomas. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the role of RKIP in predicting survival in gastric adenocarcinoma patients. Tissue microarrays were created from paraffinized samples from 136 patients with gastric adenocarcinomas and immunohistochemically stained for RKIP and STAT3.